Cumberland County Business Council, again

The News and Observer reports, "Rand, a Democrat, said he and Commerce Secretary Jim Fain flew last year to Akron, Ohio, the headquarters of Goodyear, to discuss ways to make sure the plant stayed in Fayetteville. Earlier this year, top Goodyear officials met with Easley in Raleigh, Rand said."

The Fayetteville Observer learns that the Business Council's survey was not done "several years ago" as previous reported, but just last year, and yet the Business Council is still peddling the story that it's study was completely unrelated to Goodyear.

We first made our questions known yesterday after the Business Council's president wrote a letter to all state legislators, but refused to offer any information about the study.

TIME Magazine crosses the line

In a listing of the 50 worst cars ever, Time Magazine slimes the Model T and Explorer because they were successful, the EV1 because electric vehicles were not commercially viable in time to meet California's fuel efficiency requirements. Consider these lines

Model T: A century later, the consequences of putting every living soul on gas-powered wheels are piling up, from the air over our cities to the sand under our soldiers' boots. [emphasis added]

Explorer people became addicted to the pose

That line about the Explorer applies just as much to the Prius, which sells better than other hybrids because of the instant green posing drivers can do, regardless how much they have to rely on carbon offsets in the rest of their lives.

Among the cars that deserve to be on the list is the 2002 BMW 7-Series.